This brief has the following contents: statistics on the number of women in nontraditional occupations, summary of legislation about women and employment, barriers inhibiting the entry of women into nontraditional training and employment, and strategies to overcome barriers to women entering nontraditional work settings. The statistics section notes that only about 7 percent of all working women were employed in nontraditional occupations in 1992 and that between 1988 and 1992 the number of women in nontraditional jobs remained relatively unchanged at 3 percent of the total number of employed workers. It also says that women working in nontraditional jobs typically earn 20-30 percent more than women in traditional occupations, but that women earn less than men in the same occupations. The section on public policy summarizes the major provisions of the following acts: Job Training Partnership Act, the Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act, the Nontraditional Employment for Women Act, the Women in Apprenticeship Occupations and Nontraditional Occupations Act, the National Affordable Housing Reauthorization Act of 1992, and the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, along with various civil rights acts. The barriers to nontraditional work are listed in the context of social/cultural, education and training, on-the-job, and sexual harassment issues. Finally, strategies to overcome these barriers are suggested in the form of institutional change and individual support. Six print resources from Wider Opportunities for Women and three organizational resources are listed. (KC)